Enhancing Interlayer Bonding Strength of Additively Manufactured Polyamide 6 via Blending Maleic Anhydride‐Grafted Poly(Styrene‐Ethylene‐Butylene‐Styrene)

ABSTRACT In this study, SEBS and SEBS‐ g ‐MAH were employed to enhance the mechanical properties of 3D‐printed PA6 through melt blending. Both PA6/SEBS and PA6/SEBS‐g‐MAH blends were directly 3D printed using a screw‐based extrusion process. The results show that SEBS‐ g ‐MAH is superior in improving the interlayer bonding strength and impact strength of 3D‐printed PA6. With the incorporation of 20 wt.% of SEBS‐ g ‐MAH, the interlayer bonding strength of PA6 achieved a 1.9‐fold increase to 43 MPa, while the impact strength achieved a 4.8‐fold increase to 30.9 kJ/m 2 . The excellent impact strength can be ascribed to the good compatibility between SEBS‐ g ‐MAH and PA6, as evidenced by the morphological and rheological analysis results. Due to good compatibility, the crystallization rate is decreased by SEBS‐ g ‐MAH, which benefits the interlayer chain diffusion during 3D printing. Thus, remarkably enhanced interlayer bonding strength can be achieved at a SEBS‐ g ‐MAH content of 20 wt.% and a single‐layer deposition time of 16 s. These findings underscore the importance of material composition and the optimization of deposition parameters to balance thermal history and crystallization kinetics, thereby achieving optimal mechanical performance in additive manufacturing processes.